Trump administration ends temporary protected status for migrants

WASHINTON (Nexstar) — The Trump administration decided to end temporary protected status — known as TPS — for migrants who were fleeing wars and natural disasters in their home countries.

On Wednesday, the 9th circuit court of appeals heard a case challenging the decision to end the TPS program.

Crista Ramos is a US citizen who sued the Trump administration to stop the government from deporting her mother and hundreds of thousands of others by ending TPS protections for people from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan.

“It would be a very difficult situation,” she said.

A federal judge ruled in her favor but the Trump administration appealed. Ramos’ lawyer claims the decision to end TPS was racially motivated.

“It seems to be the record is fairly thin,” the judge said.

The case was back in court Wednesday in the 9th circuit court of appeals in California.

The lawyer representing Ramos and other TPS recipients argued the president pressured immigration officials into ending TPS but the appeals court judges seemed unimpressed.

There are now questions about whether the judge that ruled in Ramos’ favor mishandled the case.

“As I look through this the district court made so many errors, violated the law in so many ways,” the judge said.

The attorney for the immigrants pleaded with the panel of judges to proceed with caution before allowing the government to end TPS.

“Otherwise, 300,000, 400,000 people will lose their employment authorization, some of them will be deported,” the lawyer said.

He argued the case is far from over and said consequences like deportation are hard to un-do.

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